India makes new record, issues 15 lakh visas to Bangladesh nationals in 2019

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India issued a record number of visas to Bangladesh nationals in 2019, said the Indian high commissioner to Dhaka Riva Ganguly Das, as she expressed satisfaction over the growing people-to-people contact between the two countries, according to a report by The Wire.

At the event held at the Indian Visa Application Centre (IVAC), visa number 15,00,000 was issued, shared the office of High Commission of India in Bangladesh in a tweet on December 31.

15 Lakh Visas & Counting!

IVAC, #Dhaka marked issuance of Visa no, 15,00,000! HC @rivagdas handed landmark visa (Visa no: 15 lakh) to 3 MuktiJoddhas. MuktiJoddhas are eligible for 5 Year Multiple Entry Visas. IVAC houses state of art facilities for #Bangladeshipic.twitter.com/gX0STzjwgN — India in Bangladesh (@ihcdhaka) December 31, 2019

On the occasion, the high commissioner handed over “landmark” five-year multiple entry visas to three “Muktijoddha” — freedom fighters of the 1971 liberation war – the report stated.

Speaking at the event, Das said the number of annual visas has been increased more than double in the last few years. “We’re seeing the results. Even a few years back, we used to issue 6.5 lakh to 7 lakh visas yearly. This year, we issued 15 lakh visas,” Das was quoted as saying.

According to the data states in the report, India issued 13.8 lakh visas in 2017, which increased to 1.46 million visas in 2018.

The neighbouring nation constitutes about 20 percent of foreign visitors to India, the report said.

The reason behind the surge in Bangladesh tourists to India was said to be shopping and business.

The report has come while the relationship between the countries is reportedly witnessing up and down due to the passage of the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), causing much concern in Dhaka that it could lead to an influx of migrants from India.

The Bangladesh government has recently shut down mobile telephone networks along the country's borders with India, hitting around 10 million subscribers.

The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), in its order to telecommunications service providers- Grameenphone, Teletalk, Robi and Banglalink- on December 29, 2019, said network coverage in the border areas should be suspended until further notice "for the sake of the country's security in the current circumstances", said a PTI report.